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Ohio Legislature Considers Uniform Speed Limits

Bills introduced in both the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate address the issue of uniform speed limits for cars and trucks on the state’s highways.

HB11 amends state law to allow vehicles in excess of 8,000 GVW to travel 65 mph on rural interstates and other highways built to interstate standards. The bill will be the subject of hearings before the House Transportation and Public Safety Committee beginning tomorrow, March 9. The same legislation has been introduced in the state Senate as SB76. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn. is urging Ohio truckers to contact their state legislators in support of the bills. “Research shows both safety and traffic flow are enhanced when all vehicles are traveling at approximately the same speed,” says an OOIDA statement. “Those that would argue that loaded trucks take longer to stop than passenger cars need to be reminded that the nature of freeway driving only infrequently requires stopping, and that experienced, safety conscious truckers drive defensively, thus reducing the need for sudden stops. According to the latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, trucks are three times more likely to be struck from the rear by cars as the other way around. Requiring trucks to travel at slower speeds than cars only increases the potential for rear end collisions, as well as sideswipe crashes that occur when cars swerve to avoid the slower moving trucks.”

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For more information, contact OOIDA at 1-800-444-5791, visit OOIDA’s web site at http://www.ooida.com, or visit the Ohio legislative web site at http://www.state.oh.us/ohio/legislat.htm.